Re: About that fridge..... (archive)

There is a nice solution if you're willing to do a little DIY. Just build a little thermoelectric (TE) cooler [which uses the Peltier Effect - look it up, it's a bit too complicated for me to start another lesson right now :-) - SRC].

All you need is to build an insulated box (which could be just styrofoam) and mount a 12 volt TE cooler in it. I've seen units that draw only about 1.5 amps. Coleman has a chest cooler that you can plug into your cigarette lighter and it both heats and cools. I'm sure that you can find some power line in the trunk to tap off of. So all in all, you could probably build one for the price of some styrofoam sheet, glue and a TE cooler which may run ~$100-$150. Alternatively, you can buy an older Coleman type TE cooler (I've seen 'em as low as $70) and tear it apart for the TE module. That way you could both heat and cool, great for keeping a thermos of hot chocolate warm on those cold winter cruises.

If you'd like more info, I'd suggest a web search under "thermoelectric coolers" - there's a lot of info out there.

P.S. At one time we were actually designing a TE cooler for the air intakes of the racecar, but found that we'd need too big a surface area for the air flow, and too high a current for the system. But it was a fun excercise.

Anyway, good luck on the idea.
Stan C.

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Re: THANK YOU STAN ABOUT THE FRIDGE ARAS 15:17 2/25/2001 (0)

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